No decision yet on MLB's added security measures in 2014, including metal detectors

Eduardo A. Encina, The Baltimore Sun

While a top Major League Baseball security official said Friday that fans should expect beefed-up security next year, including possibly walk-through metal detectors, a MLB spokesman said no decisions for 2014 have been made.

Speaking on a sports symposium panel at Harvard titled “Preparing for the Worst: Crisis Management,” MLB security director John Skinner suggested that while some aspects of screening will be left up to the teams, the commissioner’s office plans to recommend walk-through metal detectors next season, according to an Associated Press report.

But MLB spokesman Mike Teevan said in a written statement that “no decisions have been finalized at this time.”

“We have been reviewing our security procedures for many months and we will issue a security bulletin in 2014 that will include practices and procedures that are responsive to the new security environment,” Teevan said. “Fan screening will be one of the subjects addressed. We are continuing to consult with our clubs, our experts and the Department of Homeland Security, and we expect to announce specific changes after some further off-season meetings.”

The Orioles currently take public-security measures that are not much different from other sports venues. They check bags and backpacks, which must meet certain size requirements, at the gates. Open bottles can be confiscated. There’s no gate re-entry, no unauthorized items can be left at any park entrance, and only vehicles picking up or dropping off guests with disabilities are permitted to stop curbside of the ballpark.